Illustration courtesy of Rigel Products, inc.

If someone had told us last year that we would be writing an article on jag brushes and cleaning patches we would have asked, "Why?" Most quality jags do what they are supposed to do and patches; well, there are square ones and round ones. Who needs a new one? Well, ladies and gentlemen, were we wrong. The dual-purpose jag brushes and triangular patches designed by Shane Smith at Rigel Products represent a major advancement in two essential tools that every shooter uses.

Dual-Purpose Jag Brushes

These brushes come in different sizes, just as their competitors do. However, the Boresmith brushes all have a unique patented design. The rear 2/3 of the brush is "standard" for the caliber it is made for and the front 1/3 portion is smaller to accommodate the patented triangular-notched patch.

There are both nylon and phosphor bronze filament brushes available:

"Nylon, being a polyamide, creates filaments that have a greater flexural memory (maintain shape) than phosphor bronze filaments. It is because nylon filaments are thicker than phosphor bronze ones and it is because polyamides have cross-linked polymer chains. Phosphor bronze filaments brush with more friction than nylon ones because they have less flexural memory (they bend less), and because metal atoms cause more friction than polyamide chains. When compared to stainless steel filaments, phosphor bronze ones have a lower coefficient of friction, assuming similar thickness, and it makes phosphor bronze safer than stainless steel for the bore. However, as phosphor bronze filaments increase in thickness, their coefficient of friction (as it relates scrubbing bores) rises."

Triangular Cleaning Patches

"Why a triangular patch" was the first question we asked. After running several down the barrels of our favorite rifles the answer was obvious. Unlike regular patches, there is no, or very little, 5-layer pleating of the patch and the remaining 3-layer pleating provides a tight fit without getting stuck. With a longer radius, due to the triangular shape, the three points neatly fold against the jag creating a larger surface area for cleaning than with conventional patches.

There is not a single one of us who has not jammed an oversize patch into a bore (ostensibly to clean it better) only to have it stick in the bore. After reversing the cleaning rod, accompanied with a few choice words, we push the stuck patch out and try again. As much and as often as we tried, we could not cause the triangle patches to stick in the bore. They were perfectly designed for five different bore size ranges (see table below) and really cleaned well. The patches are made of 150 mil cotton flannel and napped on both sides. The folks at Rigel did not go cheap on these, which is more than we can say for a lot of patches on the market today.

As neat as the patches were, the jag brush was even better. Why no one thought of this sooner, we will never know. I guess you have to think outside of the box. While the patch on the front of the jag is cleaning, the exposed portion of the rear of the jag is brushing the bore to break loose stubborn particles. Then, on the return stroke, the patch pulls out those particles loosened by the brush. The Boresmith system is especially great if you are shooting cast lead or copper bullets.

Run a few of these patches down the bore with the dual-purpose jag brush and the job is done. Our cleaning time after shooting .38 Special wad cutters and .45 ACP lead slugs has been cut in half. We even had the opportunity to use the large #6012 patches to swab our muzzle loading pistol during recent range tests. Two patches and the Boresmith brush was all it took to swab the bore clean after five shots. That was amazing. When we returned home from the range, it only required three more patches to get the gun ready for storage. At this rate, I won't need to order any more patches for a couple of years. Sorry Shane!

Of course, you can use up your supply of existing cleaning patches with the Boresmith jag brush, but don't expect them to do as good a job as the Boresmith Triangle patches. At least they won't go to waste.

The brushes retail for $2.39 each and the patches go for $3.75/200. The patches are also available in bulk for those who wish to stock up.

To make it easy for shooters who would like to try out the dual-purpose jag brush with the triangle patches, Rigel has introduced a kit that includes one jag brush and a supply of patches. This kit retails for $3.85. The specs and details for each kit are listed in the table below.

If you want to try them out on multiple calibers, their combo-kit is an excellent deal. This includes four different brushes and 80 patches for $8.75.

Shane saw a need for a "better mouse trap" and the results are his Dual-purpose jag brushes and Triangle-notched patches. They are unique, innovative and perform as advertised. If you try them, you will probably never go back to standard brushes and patches. You can find all of the Rigel Products at their online store at rigelproducts.com. They have everything you need to professionally clean your firearms, be they antique or modern.